Holly’s Abortion Story

Story by Holly Bland

I’m excited to be a part of We Testify to reduce stigma surrounding abortion and to empower folks I encounter everyday who have had an abortion. Most importantly, I’m excited to be a part of We Testify to shift the conversation on abortion back to someone like me–someone who has had an abortion.

It’s important for me to share my abortion story because people need to know about the barriers I faced while trying to access abortion care. I didn’t face a lot of the roadblocks many people face when seeking abortion care, but I shouldn’t have had to worry about whether I would lose my job for missing work to have a medical procedure. I shouldn’t have had to work an extra 70 hours at minimum wage to pay for the health care I needed because the expensive private health insurance plan my family paid for wouldn’t cover abortions. In addition to highlighting the barriers I faced, I hope to bring folks with mental illnesses further into the conversation when talking about abortion care. Folks from all identities, regardless of class, gender identity, race, religion, background and ability, should have the same access to the reproductive health and abortion care they need.

Everyone deserves the same level of compassionate care and access to abortion. Abortion care isn’t just for the white, able and the wealthy, but attacks on abortion access aim to put the procedure out of reach for everyone else. Everyone who supports abortion, whether they personally have access to abortion or not, should be ready to fight back. Abortion is normal, abortion is health care, and for many, abortion is freedom.